The Tiger and Dragon: One Shots
by Snafu the Great
Summary: A series of stories that take place within the Tiger and Dragon universe. Note that they are not in order.
1. Chapter 1

The Tiger and Dragon: One Shots

A Street Fighter Fanfiction

By The Headcrook

Legal BS Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Side Story 1: Confrontation

-Divinity School of Swordmanship/Miya's Home, Shujinku District, Tokyo, Japan-

Note: There are several refernces from the movie 'Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior.'

Miya Hoshi had three months left before the grand opening for her kendo school.

Three months and two days, by her count, not counting the day she was currently taking off. The dojo, which was an abandoned two-story loft in the Shinjuku section of Tokyo, was the same place she had set up shop with Marz while she was pursuing Cracker Jack and Doctrine Dark for murdering her foster mother, and attempting to kill her brother and her future sister-in-law.

Since avenging her foster mother, Miya had connected back with her brother, who was currently on his honeymoon with his Chinese wife. Of course, if Ryu Hoshi was your older brother and your former boss would have found out that the best way to his target was through the sister that Bison never knew about, he would throw a fit.

Miya was in the middle of her dojo, praticing her Wai khru (The dance of Muay Thai) before praticing her Lethwei fighting style, clad in a pair of kickboxing shorts and a tanktop, her hands and feet wrapped in kickboxing tape. At the age of sixteen, she was the youngest of the now-defunct Doll program. She was also an expert in several styles of martial arts, which had gained the attention of various fighters, not to mention numerous marriage proposals from many men and offers of employment as well.

The dojo interior was slightly bigger than Ryu's Sora dojo, complete with a lacquered wooden carving of the Great Buddha on the far wall, upkeeping Miya's tradition of being a praticioner of the Kachin variant of Lethwei. Bokkens and bamboo swords lined the walls, as well as insignia of Fuurinkazan, located on two paper signs located on either side of the Great Buddha.

So far, everything was perfect, Miya realized as she continued to work on her fighting skills in Thai. Traditional Muay Thai music was playing from a CD player nearby. As she went through her Lethwei routine, she called out the names of her moves in Thai. Not out loud, but out of habit, as a result of her Lethwei training under the legendary master, Kru Dam.

"Grounded feet...crocodile tail...elephant's face...Hanuman's ring...bolting horse...ogre's sword...Hera's fall...solders' march...mad elephant...cutting through enemy...avoiding danger...dropping your head..."

As she continued to practice, Miya didn't know that she was being watched. The newcomer watched Miya pratice, arms folded.

"Knight throwing axe...wave smashing shore...meeting a friend...monkey catcher...breaking joints...snake chase lizard...shaking cliff...sticky water...throwing the spear...shattering sword... raise the body...horse replace bird...foot meets face...Haruman visits Lanka..."

The music was then abruptly cut off. That was when Miya has sensed someone behind her. Without turning around, Miya said, "I'm not open for business, and if you got a marriage or business proposal, I'm not interested."

"You're still doing some of those moves wrong, young Miya."

Miya stopped when she heard the voice. "I know that voice..."

She turned around. It was a man, bald, standing well over seven-feet tall and a walking mountain of muscle. A simple overcoat covered his massive frame, the only thing he was wearing was a pair of cargo pants and a pair of boots (i.e., what he wore in the Animated Movie) The coat was open enough to reveal that he wasn't wearing a shirt. The massive scar, a dark mass of flesh, stretched from his right shoulder to his lower left torso. There was also a scar near his left eye, which was solid white. His other eye was covered with an eyepatch. Wrapped on both his forearms and hands, was white kickboxing tape.

"At least you can speak my native tongue with no problem," Victor Sagat dryly noted, addressing her in English.

Miya brought both her hands together and bowed in the traditional Muay Thai fashion, in a show of respect. Sagat returned the gesture. "Master Sagat. This is unexpected. What brings you here to Japan?"

Sagat looked around the establishment with his one eye. "It seems that you have made yourself a new life here, Miya. There is something that I wanted to ask of you. It's concerning him."

Miya knew what he was talking about all too well. "So you heard the rumors. Well let me clarify them for you. Ryu is my brother. He told me about the...circumstances concerning that scar on your chest. But the question for you is whether or not you come in peace...or with your fists?"

Sagat looked at the former Shadowlaw operative for a long moment. "Eventhough you are Ryu's sister, you were my greatest student. My quarrel is with him, not you."

"Well that's good to know. How about some tea?"

Miya's loft was located above her dojo. Inside the kitchen, teacher and student were talking over a cup (or in Sagat's case, a glass) of tea. Miya had changed out of the kickboxing shorts and into a pair of track pants.

"I've heard through various sources that your foster mother was murdered," Sagat said.

Miya nodded. Even after all this time, it was still a rough subject to deal with. Aside from Ryu and Chun Li, her foster mother was the only family she had left.

"Jack and Dark found out about my relationship with Ryu," Miya confirmed. "That he was my brother."

"I've thought as much. Very despicable thing to do. Junko was a kindred soul. She didn't deserve to die the way she did. Reminds me of my own mother."

"If it wasn't for Ryu and Chun Li, then I wouldn't been able to avenge her."

Sagat took a sip from his tea. "So where is your brother?"

"On his honeymoon." Off Sagat's surprised look, Miya continued. "He and Chun Li had gotten married several days ago."

Sagat looked up. "The Chinese Interpol agent? I find it hard to believe."

Miya excused herself for a moment. When she returned, she was holding a framed photo in her hands. Miya handed it over to Sagat. Sagat looked at the photo. It was that of Ryu and Chun Li's wedding day in Hong Kong. Ryu and Chun Li were both dressed in their wedding attire. Ken, his wife Eliza, and Miya were also in the picture; Ken dressed as the best man, and Miya as one of the bridesmaids.

"They were lovers when they were younger," Miya explained. "But when Chun Li's father died, they seperated and after the last tournament, they got back together again."

"Hmmm...interesting." Sagat handed the photo back to Miya. "Looks like there is something that Ryu found worth fighting for."

"What are you doing here in Japan anyway?" Miya asked.

"An Akido master challenged me to a fight," Sagat explained. He gave her a wry grin. "It didn't go all too well for him. Then I find out that you're opening up a kendo school and I had to come and pay you a visit. And to get something off my chest."

Miya sat back down. "What is it?"

"I want you to give your brother a message when he returns." Sagat paused for a moment. "I was angry for so long for losing to him, for what he did to me." He motions to the mass of scar tissue on his chest. "But now, I realise the consequences of this scar wasn't his fault. In our first match, he was seduced by the Dark Hadou, which resulted with the scar on my chest. I myself was blinded by my own arrogance. Even a rivalry has its limits and a true rival should not be seduced with dark power, nor blinded with rage."

He stood up, looking down on Miya. "Tell him to train...and train well. When the time is right, I expect a rematch. A clean one, to see who is the better fighter. The time may be soon, or down the road. But rest assure...I will have my rematch against him."

Miya stood up from her seat. Sagat then bowed in the traditional Muay Thai fashion. Miya returned the gesture. Sagat then left without incident.

Several days later, Ryu and Chun Li returned from their honeymoon.

Before heading back home, they visited Miya at her dojo/home. There, Miya told her brother about her meeting with Sagat and delivered his message to him.

Ryu nodded in understanding. "I thought as much. I look forward to the challenge when it comes."


	2. Chapter 2

The Tiger and Dragon: One Shots

A Street Fighter Fanfiction

By The Headcrook

Legal BS Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Side Story 2: Late Nights

-Interpol Building, Downtown Tokyo - Valentine's Day...-

Chun Li wanted to cry. Or shoot whoever was in charge.

She was inside her office, going over the last pages of her paperwork, muttering some choice curse words in English, Chinese and Japanese. It was nearly two in the morning and she was still working. She looked outside the window. It had rained earlier that day and the rain has stopped. All she wanted to do was go home and crawl in the bed. Ryu was out of town with Sakura, on a weekend training trip into the mountains of northern Japan, and woudn't be back until later on the following day, leaving her alone.

After filing the last of the paperwork, she took a seat at her desk and sighed. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the wedding picture of her and Ryu from several months ago. The wedding was in Hong Kong, much to Chun Li's delight, since she hasn't been back since moving and settling in Japan. She had been through a lot in the months following ther wedding. Whether it was having a sister-in-law who was a former Shadowlaw operative, fighting assassins, or having to deal with her version of the Dark Hadou, Ryu was there to support her.

Chun Li was alone in her office. Her partner had just left, and Chun Li guessed that even though there were several other agents working late, she was probably the only person left on the seventh floor. Her work finished, all she wanted to do was just go home. The ringing of the phone brought her out of her thoughts. Wondering who it could be at this time of the morning, Chun Li picked up the receiver.

"Interpol. Inspector Xiang speaking."

"Working late again?"

Chun Li's eyes went wide at the sound of the voice. "Ryu? Where are you?"

"Outside in a phone booth. Sakura and I got back in town about 45 minutes ago. I told her to go on back home while I decided to check up on you. I hope you're hungry, because I got some dinner for us."

"What you got?"

"Some food from that 24-hour Chinese cafe down the street."

"Okay, I'll call the guard downstairs and let him know you're coming. He'll let you in."

Five minutes later, Chun Li stood in front of the elevators out in the hallway. She had ran to the restroom to make sure she was presentable. She knew that Ryu loved her regardless the way she looked but she was in her formal Interpol dress uniform: a short-sleeved khaki shirt, the top button undone, the shirt concealed by a sleevless V-necked sweater, which was a darker shade of brown, and a black mini-skirt. She had taken off her heels and was now wearing a pair of tennis shoes. Her dark brown hair with the noticable crimson streaks were done in her usual braided and bunned style.

Ding.

The elevator doors on her right opened. Out stepped her husband. In his left hand, he was holding an umbrella, while in the other hand he was balancing a paper bag filled with food and a couple of drinks. He was dressed in according to the weather: a sweater and denim jeans. On his feet were a pair of hiking boots. Chun Li was surprised that he wasn't wearing his favorite headband.

Chun Li didn't waste no time. She rushed over to her husband, threw her arms around his neck and greeted him with a long and passionate kiss. Ryu, having missed Chun Li as well, returned the kiss with the same passion...eventhough his hands were full.

When they finally broke off the kiss, Ryu said, grinning, "If I wanted a greeting like that, then I should go on more training trips."

"I wouldn't push your luck, if I were you," Chun Li replied. She then lead him into the closest room, which was the conference room. The room was unlocked, since the custodian was just finishing up cleaning the room. After Chun Li promised the janitor that they would clean up after themselves, the janitor was sent on his way. Chun Li then locked the door behind them, so that no one would intrude on their dinner.

Ryu began to unpack the bag filled with food. He took out several cartons (Chun Li counted four in total), two pairs of chopsticks, and two bottles of cold water (there were four inside, two being water and the other two being iced tea). Chun Li opened the first carton. There were slices of Peking duck inside, her favorite, smothered in duck sauce. The second carton had house fried rice. Ryu had the pepper steak and the same rice as Chun Li in his own cartons.

Chun Li knew that she should be watching her weight, but she knew that no matter what she ate, she always retained her normal weight, thanks to the daily sparring sessions with her husband and his student, not to mention the daily training regimen that she took on a regular basis. She thought that her training was tough, until she took on Ryu's training.

Chun Li poked at her food as she swallowed several pieces of Peking duck. "You remembered my favorite dish," she said.

"It wasn't that hard. You eat this once every other week," Ryu said as he ate his dinner. "You know what day it is?" he asked nonchalantly.

"February 14th," Chun Li replied. "It's Ken's birthday."

"Aside from that," Ryu said. "What also happens on February 14th?"

Chun Li immediately caught on. "It's Valentine's Day." She then remembered something. "Damn. I didn't even have time to get you a present."

"You don't need to get me one," Ryu replied. He then gave his wife a smile. "You're all I want this Valentine's Day."

The Chinese fighter gave her Japanese husband a coy grin. "Are you trying to flatter me, Mr. Hoshi?"

"Don't know," Ryu replied, giving Chun Li the same grin in return. "Is it working?"

Chun Li scooted over closer to her husband. "Maybe."

"Maybe I can give Sakura the day off," Ryu noted.

"And I got tomorrow off as well," Chun Li added. "Then we can spend the day together. Just you and me."

"No fighting," Ryu continued. "No training, no challenges...sounds like a plan."

"Then it's settled then," Chun Li said, beaming. "We spend the day together tomorrow. No fighting, no training, no nothing."

"Deal," Ryu said before he kissed his wife, their dinner for the moment, forgotten as the couple were at the moment, into each other.


	3. Chapter 3

The Tiger and the Dragon: One Shots

A Street Fighter Fanfiction

By The Headcrook

The Man In Red

- Somewhere in northern Singapore, six months before the Second Street Fighter Tournament...-

Someone was following Ryu. He felt it ever since leaving Singapore City three days earlier. He was in the forest, near a mountain village, where he decided to train and meditate. Dressed in his usual gi and red hachimaki, he looked around the forest. Someone was watching him. He suspected that it was the new criminal syndicate Shadowlaw. He had heard of them while recovering from his match against Akuma and learning to control his Dark Hadou while in Calcutta. His senses, enhanced with the dark energies of Ansatsuken were alert. Whoever it was, they were giving out a dark aura powerful enough to make his hair stand on end.

Ryu walked into a small clearing. Storm clouds were gathering in the distance, thunder announcing the arrival of rain. 'I know I'm not alone,' he thought. 'Who the hell is trailing me?'

"I know you're there!" he shouted. "Show yourself!"

"You are very quick," a deep voice said from behind him.

Ryu spun around. He found himself face-to-face with a man. The man was massively built, his muscles showing through the red military uniform he wore. On his shoulders were a pair of shoulder harnesses and on his forearms and lower legs were shin guards. Spit-shined boots adorned the man's feet. A black cape was covering one shoulder, leaving the other bare. The Japanese fighter looked at the newcomer's face. His eyes were solid white, the massive jaw prominent as a sadistic grin spread across his face. A red cap covered his short black hair. Ryu took notice of the winged skull insignia on it.

'That insignia...,' Ryu thought, his mind going a mile a minute. 'I've seen it before...'

"We meet at last, Ryu Hoshi," the man said as he floated in the air, arms folded across his chest. He then lowered himself to the ground. "I have been wathcing you for quite sometime now."

"And who the hell are you?" Ryu shot back.

"I am Bison, Commander of Shadowlaw," he introduced himself. "But you can call me Master."

'Shadowlaw...so he's the big boss,' Ryu thought. "And what makes you think I will call you Master?" Ryu questioned.

"When I beat you senseless," Bison replied cooly. "When I have broken you, I will rebuild you into one of my soldiers. You may become my right-hand man, given your skills." He landed on the ground. "Resistance is futile, Ryu. No one has ever bested me in combat."

Having enough of Bison's speech, Ryu aimed a roundhouse kick to Bison's head...

...only to hit nothing but air. Ryu blinked. "What the...!"

Ryu spun around, just in time to see Bison materialize before him. He was then knocked to the ground as Bison flipped forward, feet first, striking Ryu. Ryu flipped back to his feet and went into his stance. Bison had disappeared again.

"Dammit! Fight like a man!" Ryu shouted.

Instinct told him to move. When he did, Bison's foot missed the area where his head would have been. Reacting quickly, Ryu leapt into the air spinning, one leg outstretched. "Tatsumaki--"

He was surprised when Bison blocked the move and landed a solid straight punch to his breastplate, the fist glowing in greenish-blue flames. Ryu fell on his back. Bison threw his cape back as he looked down on Ryu.

"Foolish boy," he said. "You are no match for my Psycho Power. Surrender now and I will spare your life in exchange for a lifetime of servitude. Oppose me and you will be destroyed."

Ryu got to his feet. "I'll gladly take death over slavery anyday!" he said defiantly.

Bison inclined his head. "Such is the audacity of youth." As he moved in, Ryu threw another roundhouse at Bison's head. When he vanished, Bison taunted, "Have you learned anything new?"

As Bison appeared, Ryu quickly spun around and thrusted his hands forward, releasing a Hadouken. Bison wasn't expecting that and the ki blast caught him in the chest, forcing him back several steps.

"How about that?" Ryu shot back. 'This guy is as powerful as Sagat,' he thought. 'Maybe even more powerful that him...or Akuma.'

Bison was shocked that Ryu had actually caught him. In truth, it actually made him mad that Ryu had successfully attacked him. Not even the American commando Charlie Nash nor the Interpol agent Dourai Xiang were successful in landing a hit. One hand reached for his cape, which he threw off. He then slid towards Ryu, knocking his feet out from under him. When Ryu landed on his back, Bison raised one leg and brought it down, only to miss when Ryu rolled out of the way.

When Ryu got back to his feet, Bison slammed his elbow into the side of his face. Then he landed a hard kick to the side of Ryu's head. Ryu spun as the kick connected, his own leg outstretched in his own roundhouse kick, catching Bison squarely in the jaw. Again, Bison staggered back, but did not fall.

* * *

Meanwhile, the fight was being montored. Inside Bison's personal jet, a VTOL, several scientists were watching the fight between their commander and his intended target, Bison getting the majority of the blows in, Ryu using near-crippling moves, but couldn't stop Bison for a moment.

The scientists had a system for ranking martial artists in the world, which they called the Class System. There were five classes in total, one being the lowest while five is the highest. Most of the top-ranking martial artists were either Class 3 and 4, whereas Bison was Class 5. Ryu, according to them was a top-tier Class 4, due to his martial arts ability, which explained Bison's interest in him.

Also watching this battle was Juni, the new commander of the Shadowlaw Elite Squad. Following Juli's defeat and expulsion, she was promoted. However, Juni watched with satisfaction as Bison was beating Ryu with little difficulty. Also there were the French Doll Fevrier, her guns resting nearby, and the Italian Doll Aprile, ready to give the would-be-newest member of the Shadowlaw organization much needed medical attention once the battle is over.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryu was still fighitng for his life. Bison was bruised from several vicious attacks, but Ryu felt several of his ribs being broken when Bison spiralled into him, executing his Psycho Crusher with deadly precision, sending Ryu crashing into the side of a tree. In Bison's eyes, the match was over.

Bison warped over to the fallen warrior. Grabbing a handful of his gi, the Shadowlaw warlord lifted him into the air. "You really think you could win against me?" he spat out. "No one can best my Psycho Power." A sadistic smile crept across his lips. "But you have a lot of spirit in you. You will make a fine addition to my army."

* * *

Back at the VTOL, the sensors were starting to through the roof as they measured Ryu's power levels. "What is happening!" one of the female scientists asked as the equipment went bonkers. 

The head scientist looked at the monitor. "I don't know...something's wrong..."

* * *

Ryu's head was slumped forward as Bison had him helplessly in the air. "It is finished," he said, grinning. "When you come to, you will be the newest addition to Shadowlaw." He raised his other hand to knock Ryu completely out.

Then something unexpected happened. In Ryu's mind, he wasn't looking at Bison. The image shifted to that of Akuma.

Bison's fist sailed through the air, it's target being Ryu's temple...

...Ryu's hand snapped up, catching Bison's fist in a vice grip. Bison was not expecting this happening.

Then Ryu raised his head, eyes open so that he could look at Bison in the face. Instead of his brown eyes, Bison saw that they were blood red; the whites, pupils, irises, everything. The Dark Hadou, in a purely instinctal move, had posessed Ryu, unleashing his dark half. Bison's head then snapped back as Ryu slammed his knee into his jaw with vicious force, forcing him to release Ryu. As Bison gathered himself from the surprise attack, he watched as Ryu casually cracked his neck muscles as he advanced on Bison.

Then he vanished before Bison's eyes...and reappeared directly in front of Bison. Bion's eyes bulged as he took two punches to the torso, followed by another cross to the face. Ryu then leapt into the air and performed his Hurricane Gale Kick. Bison's head was rocked to the side as Ryu connected three times, the final blow knocking Bison to the ground. Shocked was an understatement. This was the first time ever that someone had knocked him flat on his back. He was also shocked at the amount of power that Ryu was exercising.

Bison got to his feet. "What power! It will be mine!" he seethed.

He lunged forward, throwing punch after punch at the dark Ansatsuken fighter. Ryu merely parried and knocked Bison's fists aside as if they weren't even worth the effort. Then Ryu's hand shot out, grabbing Bison by the throat in an inhuman grip. Bison was no stranger in putting people in chokeholds, but he was getting a taste of his own medicine by a man whom he originally thought was not a threat.

Bison the felt his feet leave the ground as Ryu slowly hoisted him into the air. With inhuman strength, Ryu tossed him into the side of a tree. When Bison looked up, he saw that Ryu had fired off a purple fireball. Bison rolled out of the way as the fireball crashed and destroyed the tree behind him.

"I couldn't let you off that easily, now can I?" Satsui no Hadou ni Mezameta Ryu, or Evil Ryu for short said. "You thought you won?" At the word 'won,' Evil Ryu punted Bison into another tree.

As Bison slowly staggered to his feet, Evil Ryu continued to advance. Bison's mind was reeling. This had NEVER happened to him before. Being on the receiving end of a beating was clearly new to him. Bison's head snapped back, as a result of Ryu's fist impacting with the side of his face. Then it rocked left and right from the repeated assault of Ryu's fists and feet.

* * *

Inside the VTOL, the Shadowlaw technicians and the Dolls watched as their boss was on the receiving end of Ryu's attacks. Almost immediately, Juli and Fevrier rushed to the nearest exit, the French doll grabbing and loading a French-made FA-MAS assault rifle, while Juni armed herself with a black Desert Eagle magnum.

* * *

Meanwhile Evil Ryu was in full control of the fight.

He tossed Bison into another tree, this time, Bison went through it, the tree exploding on impact.

The Shadowlaw warlord was a mess. His face had several cuts on them and was bruised. One eye was swollen, his lip was bleeding and he could feel several of his ribs cracked. If he was tossed through another tree, then they would most definitely be broken. His right arm was dislocated from the onslaught of the posessed Ryu.

"You will never win," Evil Ryu deadpanned.

One hand shot out, grabbing a handful of Bison's uniform. He then lifted Bison cleanly off the ground so that there was a foot of space between the Shadowlaw warlord and the soil. The match was now over. With his one good eye, Bison looked at Ryu. He saw that his free hand was balled into a fist, the veins throbbing in his biceps. Bison knew that the final blow would end this contest...and would probably kill him.

But, fortunately for Bison, it was not meant to be.

A gunshot was heard, the bullet whizzing by Ryu. The bullet from a Desert Eagle smashed into a nearby tree. Machine gun fire erupted as both Fevier and Juni emerged, guns blazing. Rather than to get riddled with bullets, Evil Ryu tossed Bison to the ground and leapt back, firing off two Zankuu Hadoukens from midair to cover his retreat. The dual ki blasts left a small crater each, seperating himself from Bison and his Dolls. As Juni fired into the woods, Fevier shouldered her FA-MAS, and struggled to get Bison to his feet.

"I got him!" the French doll shouted. "Let's get out of here!"

Juli holstered her sidearm and grabbed Bison. If Bison wasn't happy to see his Dolls, he was now. The trio then made a hasty retreat. Once Evil Ryu was certain that no more bullets would fly in his direction, He emerged from the woods, just in time to see Bison's VTOL rise from the other side of the woods.

Seeing that his quarry was trying to escape, Evil Ryu drew his hands back, then fired off a Messatsu Gouhadou. The ball of dark ki smashed into one of the engines, damaging it, but the aircraft remained mobile. With smoke coming form its engine, the aircraft departed back to its main base.

That was the last thing that Evil Ryu saw before losing consciousness.

* * *

-Several days later...-

Ryu woke up. He wasn't outside in the field, he was inside what appeared to be a hospital bed. His ribs were bandaged and all of his cuts and bruises were bandaged. He looked around at the establishment. The room was small, reminding him of his old bedroom back in Sora.

Then the door opened and the doctor walked in. Ryu saw that he was Chinese, only more rugged.

"You're finally awake, I see," the doctor said. "I am Dr. Chow, the village doctor."

"Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital...sort of," Chow explained. "Actually, this place is more like a clinic. We're inside a mountain village. You've been unconscious for three days."

"Three...days?" Ryu repeated. He remembered the confrontation with Bison, and that his Dark Hadou had taken over.

"Yes. My assistant found you passed out in the middle of a field and brought you in. You had three of your ribs broken, a fourth was fractured and you got a concussion. Looks like were worked over pretty good."

'You should see the other guy,' Ryu thought darkly. "I've had worse," he said. "Thanks."

"You should get some rest," Chow said. "I'll have the nurse bring you something to eat."

* * *

-Meanwhile, at Shadowlaw Headquarters, Miriganka Island, Thailand...-

Bison dropped the offending soldier's body, the officer's head twisted at an unnatural angle. He had just came out of the Psycho Drive, refreshed, but feeling incredibly sore form his fight with Ryu. Worse yet, his ego was far more hurt than his body. Simply put, he was livid. Even his three top lieutenants, Balrog, Vega and Victor Sagat steered clear from the mad general's warpath.

Sagat, however, knew firsthand of Ryu's power. The scar on his chest was evidence enough of that.

"The little maggot!" Bison ranted. "No one has ever toppled me before!" His solid white eyes narrowed. "I clearly underestimated this man."

At that moment, one of the scientists who was present at the fight days earlier approached Bison, holding a manila folder in one hand. "Lord Bison...we have the results from the fighting data. We have made a mistake in the original numbers on Ryu Hoshi's fighting ability."

Bison turned to the scientist, who backed away slightly. "What?"

The scientist gulped. "Our original estimates were that Ryu was a Class 4 fighter. But...after that night in Singapore...we ran the data every way possible but--"

Bison cut him off. "Get on with it."

The scientist handed him the folder. "It should be best you see this for yourself, sir."

Bison took the folder and scanned the contents. He looked at the scientist. "Are you sure you checked the data?" he aksed with anger rising in his voice.

"I personally checked it three times over, my lord," the scientist replied. "But the numbers don't lie. Ryu Hoshi is a Class 5 fighter."

Bison remembered the power that Ryu used on him that day. He thought about killing the scientist, but relented. He incinerated the file, turned on his heel and walked off down the corridor.

The thought that was going through his mind was, 'You were lucky, little man. We will meet again. And the results will be different."


	4. Chapter 4

Side Story 4: Detained

-MI-6 Headquarters - London, England, shortly before the second tournament...-

"YOU LET HIM GO?"

William Guile's voice rang throughout the corridors of Delta Red's main headquarters. From the hall, Cammy White heard the furious voice berate Colonel Wolfman for some apparent reason.

Dressed in her formal Delta Red uniform, Cammy quickly made her way to her section. Inside the meeting room, she found Colonel Wolfman and an American commando arguing. Watching the verbal lashing from a safe distance, was a slender Chinese female. The woman was dressed in a formal business suit and a pair of boots. Her hair was done up in two braids which were wrapped in buns and secured with ribbons and coverings on either side of her head.

The Chinese woman noticed the newcomer and quickly walked over to Cammy. "I think we better go outside before Guile looses it," she said in English.

Cammy thought that it was a good idea as well. From the looks of things, it appeared that the American commando could fight. But she knew that Wolfman was one of the best fighters in all of Delta Red and could hold his own in a fight.

Once they were clear out of the way, the taller woman turned to Cammy. "Can you tell me what was that all about?" Cammy asked. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Detective Chun Li Xiang, I.C.P.O.," the Chinese woman said, showing Cammy her badge. "The pissed off American you saw, that's William Guile, operative with the U.S. Air Force."

"What could you two be possibly doing here?" Cammy asked.

"We got an email from one of your teammates," Chun Li explained. "Some guy named Ginzu, I think. He said that you were holding someone here. He is a 'person of interest' in the case Guile and I are working on." She went into her pocket and pulled out a photo. Handing it to Cammy, she continued. "Have you seen this man?"

Cammy took one look at this picture and nodded. "I know him. He was here, but he left the country."

"When was that?" Chun Li asked.

"I'd say about around an hour ago," Cammy replied. "Why are you after him? Who is he?"

"His full name is Ryu Hoshi," Chun Li explained. "From what we could find out, Shadowlaw's interested in him."

Cammy looked up at the name 'Shadowlaw.' "Shadowlaw? Are you sure?"

"So you heard of them?"

"I have." Cammy looked around. "Maybe this place isn't right to speak of such things. There's a cafe near here. Meet me there in 10 minutes. We'll talk there."

"Okay."

-Ten minutes later...-

Inside a cafe, Cammy and Chun Li sat in a small booth. Cammy was busy explaining the past events to Chun Li. "Why does Shadowlaw want with this guy? Who is he, anyway?"

"As I've told you earlier," Chun Li began, "his name is Ryu. He's an expert in the martial arts and from what I know, he is one of the best in the world, if not the planet. For some time, he's been living the life of a nomad, wandering the world."

"I've talked to him personally, when we were questioning him," Cammy said.

"And how was he?"

"He's not what I was expecting for someone who is in Shadowlaw's crosshairs. He was actually polite, respectful and curteous. He even didn't put up a fight when I came for him and brought him to the HQ for questioning."

"But what was he doing here in London?" Chun Li asked.

Cammy thought for a moment. "It was about a week ago when I first met him. My team and I were undercover at a tournament on the docks. As you already guessed, it was sponsored by Shadowlaw." A sardonic smile came across her lips. "You can say that I have a history with them. I found Ryu in the middle of a fight between one of the Shadowlaw Dolls..."

Several days earlier...

There was a non-sanctioned tournament at the docks. Both Cammy and her partner Lita Luwanda were there undercover. Apparently, there were rumors of a new criminal syndicate appearing in the city. What disturbed Cammy was that the new syndicate was none other than the Shadowlaw organization. Both Delta Red operatives were in casual attire, acting as participants in the tournament.

However, there was somthing that neither woman was counting on.

There was a partcipant that was fighting. He looked like a tourist, since he wasn't from around London. And he was currently fighting one of the biggest men in the tournament. Cammy watched the man closely. He was of Asian descent, probably Japanese, standing nearly six feet tall and incredibly musclar. He was also dressed simply: a white tanktop, showing off his muscular chest and arms, a pair of denim jeans and a pair of black tennis shoes. On his hands were a pair of brown fighting gloves (the SF3 version).

His opponent was a local fighter that Cammy had fought several times: a walking mountain of muscle standing at six-feet-eight and weighing three hundred pounds. Imagine Cammy's surprise when the newcomer downed the local guy, much to the dismay of the audience, who had money on the fight, most of it betted on the local champion.

"Just who is this guy anyway?" Luwanda asked her partner as the man stood in the ring, victorious.

Cammy shook her head. "I don't know."

Watching from a raised platform, was the new commander of the Shadowlaw Dolls, Juni. She was flanked by several local toughs, obviously on Shadowlaw's payroll. As she scanned the gathered audience of fighters, her eyes stopped on Cammy.

"What the..." Juni breathed. "It's you..."

Meanwhile, Ryu saw Juni, just as she felt his gaze bore down on her. Ryu recognized her from Singapore from when he fought the Shadowlaw commander, General Bison. Cammy watched as Juni turned to the newcomer and her expression changed dramatically.

Then Cammy and Luwanda watched as the Japanese guy made a beeline for Juni, who escaped through a backroom. Cammy and Luwanda gave chase.

* * *

"I knew that something was up," Cammy continued. "The way that Ryu looked at Juni was that he wanted to maim her. Of course, the feeling was mutual on Juni's end." 

"Why's that?" Chun Li asked.

"Juni wasn't always the commander of the Shadowlaw Elite Squad, ot the Dolls, if you prefer," Cammy explained. "That responsibility fell on to her predecessor, Juli. But we found out that Ryu defeated Juli and she was expelled from Shadowlaw as a result. Juni was then promoted to commander."

* * *

Ryu pursued Juni. He raced up a flight of stairs, dodging gunfire from Juni's Desert Eagle. Once he made it to the top floor, he exited the stairwell...only to find that Juni had set a trap for him. 

When Ryu exited the stairwell, he felt the barrel of the weapon pressed up against his back.

"Don't move," Juni ordered as she slowly circled Ryu, until she was pointing the magnum in his face.

She wasn't alone. Juni had backup in the form of a half-dozen thugs, each armed with various types of weaponry, most of them melee weapons. The woman gave her quarry a mean smile. "We meet at last."

Ryu looked at the woman. "You know me?"

"You knew the former commander, Juli," she said. "Now I run the Shadowlaw Dolls. Imagine my surprise when I find you here in England, of all places. General Bison will be very pleased to find out that I finally caught you."

Ryu gave the petite woman a mean smile. "That's funny. Bison thought that as well and looked what happened to him."

Juni lowered her gun. "Enjoy your smart-mouthing while you can." She then gave the guys their orders. "Take him down."

* * *

From the stairwell, Cammy heard the sounds of the battle taking place. Pulling out her pistol, she made sure that the safety was off as she inched towards the door... 

...then hopped back as a thug went sailing through the open doorway, impacting against the wall, very unconscious. Cammy looked inside the room and what she saw shocked her.

Twelve men were scattered across the area, knocked out senseless. Ryu and Juni were left standing. She watched the confrontation from her hiding place.

"You made three mistakes, Juni," Ryu deadpanned as he slowly advanced on Juni.

Juni had the Desert Eagle raised. "Freeze!" She was torn over killing Ryu and following Bison's orders. When Ryu refused to stop, Juni repeated the order. "I said freeze!"

"First...you took the job of trying to capture me," Ryu stated. He kicked one of the downed thugs in the stomach, which effectively stopped his moaning. "Second...you came light." He motioned to the downed hoodlums in the room. "Six lowly thugs for me? That's very insulting. But the most crucual mistake you made..."

Juni pulled the trigger.

Click.

By the time it took her to register that the gun was empty, Ryu had knocked it out of her hand. "...is that you ran out of ammo," he finished.

Then the fight began.

As Cammy watched, Juni and Ryu fought. Actually, it was more like Juni throwing punches and kicks, with Ryu blocking and parrying the blows, all the while sucker-punching Juni several times. However, as Ryu swung one fist at Juni's head, she rolled out of the way, and Ryu ended up putting his fist through a window.

"Is this what the Shadowlaw Dolls are capable of?" Ryu calmly taunted Juni as he tossed her across the area. "Juli would be very disappointed in you. At least she was a worthy challenge," he added, playing with Juni's mind.

"SHUT UP!" Juni screamed, charging at Ryu, only to be knocked back once again.

"You're nothing but a puppet," Ryu said as he flipped over Juni's Cannon Drill. He then roundhoused her in the face. "A puppet without a soul. I pity you, Juni."

Juni tasted blood in her mouth. She turned to the side and spat out a wad of blood. "Save your damn pity for the weak!" She charged again...only to double over from Ryu's fist impacting her stomach, causing her to double over in pain. Juni turned her head to look at her opponent with nothing but hate in her eyes.

"YOU BASTARD!" she howled. "I HATE YOU!" She managed to get to her feet. Going into her stance, she charged.

From Cammy's point of view, she watched as Ryu calmly and methodically dismantled Juni with precision strikes with his hands and feet. Cammy knew that as a former Shadowlaw assassin, that the technicians tampered with her DNA to make her stronger and more agile.

That, however was not the case.

Cammy winced as Ryu took Juni apart. Juni managed to tag him with several shots, but they were no good. Soon, Juni was standing there, defenseless. Her lip was busted, her face was swollen and one eye was closed. Ryu, still in his stance, went to perform his Joudan Sokutou Geri, or the High Angle Blade Kick...

...only to stop mere inches from Juni's face. Ryu lowered his foot. Grabbing a handful of Juni's bodysuit, he raised her to eye level, her feet leaving the ground. Juni saw his eyes go red for a moment as he allowed the Dark Hadou to take over. It was the same thing she saw when she witnessed General Bison fight Ryu months earlier.

"I won't do you in," Ryu said in a low voice. "Out of respect for your former commander."

"You bastard..." she whispered.

He then dropped her to the floor. Juni's knees fell out from her and she collapsed to her knees, stunned from the thrashing. When Ryu turned his back on her, Juni made her move. Seeing that she couldn't win against Ryu, she got up and ran straight to the nearest window. Ryu turned, just as Cammy rushed in the room, trying to stop Juni from escaping, but it was too late. Juni leapt through the window and landed on another roof. She then made her retreat.

Ryu watched her disappear from view. Ignoring Cammy, he turned form the window and walked away. Cammy then spun around, gun raised. "Freeze!"

Ryu stopped in his tracks. "What now?" he asked as he turned around.

"I'm taking you in for questioning," Cammy declared.

Ryu gave her a small smile. "There is an old saying...never point a gun at somebody..." His hand reached out with blinding speed, snatching Cammy's gun from her hand. "...because you don't know when it will go off." He ejected the clip and tossed it aside. He then pulled the slide back, ejecting the bullet out of the gun as well before tossing it to the side.

As Ryu turned and walked away, Cammy fumed. She had a job to do and one way or another. "Don't you turn your back on me," she said sternly.

Ryu stopped. "How do I know you're not working with Shadowlaw?" he questioned, turning around. "What makes you think I would listen to you?"

Cammy took a step back. His physical presence was imtimidating enough, but his voice was stern, not to mention calm and cool. She may have been one of Delta Red's elite, but after seeing him beat down Juni with general ease, the last thing she wanted to do was get involved in a hand-to-hand combat match with Ryu.

Ryu then turned around and departed silently down the stairs, leaving Cammy somewhat disturbed. 'He could have easily beaten me as he did Juni,' she thought. 'But he didn't...'

Minutes later, Luwanda showed up. She looked around at the carnage. "What happened here?" she questioned. "Did you do this?"

Cammy shook her head. "It's a long story."

* * *

Back at MI-6, Cammy gave Watson a full account of what had happened. Watson's next order was to bring in Ryu Hoshi in for questioning.

* * *

After several days of not seeing Ryu in public, Cammy and her unit had finally caught a break. Inside a cafe, as the two British operatives were having their evening tea, Ryu walked in. It took Cammy and Luwanda a moment to recognize him, but it was verified. The guy that walked in was definately the one who thrashed Juni that night at the docks. 

Cammy looked at what he was wearing. He had changed out of what he was wearing earlier and into some more appropriate clothes: a grey chambray shirt, the top button undone, cargo pants and hiking boots. It also appeared that he was preparing to leave town, since he had a worn white duffel bag with him. Cammy and Luwanda saw him order some tea from a passing waitress and he bent down and started to write in a small notebook.

Luwanda was talking into a cellphone. "That was Watson," she said. "He wants us to take him in. If we need any backup, McCoy's on the way."

"He's gonna notice something's up if we both go there," Cammy said. "We got to do this without causing any trouble. You don't know what he's capable of. Juni didn't stand a chance against him."

"So what do you suggest?"

Cammy thought about it for a moment. "Let me go over there and talk to him."

"Are you insane?" Luwanda hissed. "You told me he mopped the floor with Juni, not to mention about a dozen thougs. What makes you think he won't do the same with you?"

"Either we do this or we're in for a fight," Cammy declared. She stood up. "I'm going."

As Cammy walked over to Ryu, Luwanda tried to get Cammy to reconsider, but Cammy ignored her.

Meanwhile, Ryu continued to drink his tea and scribble into his notebook. He looked up and saw the blonde pigtailed girl from the docks standing at his table. Instead of the one-piece jumpsuit and boots, he saw that she was dressed in her formal attire. Her movements didn't look threatening, but nonetheless, Ryu was on his guard.

"Can I sit down?" she asked.

Ryu gestured to the seat across from him, which Cammy took. Pulling out her ID badge, she showed it to Ryu. "We haven't been formally introduced, Ryu. I'm Lieutenant Camilla White. I work with MI-6, the British Secret Service, Delta Red Special Forces."

"Ryu Hoshi," Ryu introduced himself.

'At least he's polite,' Cammy noted. 'He's not what I was expecting at all.'

At her table, Luwanda watched with a worried expression on her face. She kept one hand close to her knives.

"You're not alone, I see," Ryu noted.

Cammy blinked. "How can you tell?"

Ryu took another sip of his tea. "Your friend's actions aren't exactly what you call subtle. From what I can see, it looks like she is going for her weapon." He looked at Cammy. "However, you did not come here for a friendly chat."

"You're very quick, Mr. Hoshi," Cammy noted.

"It's Ryu," the Japanese fighter insisted. "I dislike formalities. It isn't me."

"Fair enough," Cammy replied. "You can call me Cammy, if you like." She then paused for a moment. "You know why I am here, right?"

"That night at the docks."

"Yes. I would like to ask you a few questions about your dealings with Juni and Shadowlaw," Cammy stated.

Ryu grunted. "Believe me when I tell you this, but my last few encounters with Shadowlaw have not been...pleasant."

"Maybe, but I have a job to do," Cammy said. "Please come with me to the headquarters. We can resolve this matter there." Off Ryu's skeptical look, Cammy added, "You come quitely, and I won't handcuff you. I give you my word."

Ryu's eyes bore into Cammy's. After a moment, he downed the remainder of his tea, flipped the cup over and gave her his answer. "Let's go."

Cammy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Ryu stands up, grabs his duffel bag and shoulders it. Cammy rises to her feet and escorts him to Luwanda. Giving her partner a small smile, the two British operatives and their charge exited the cafe. Outside, an unmarked sedan pulled up. Out stepped McCoy. After a reassuring look from Cammy, McCoy opened the back door and Ryu entered without hesitation, followed by Cammy.

* * *

-MI-6 Headquarters- 

Once Ryu was put into a holding cell, Watson called a meeting with his members of Delta Red. The gathered members were inside a conference room debating over what to do with the Japanese fighter.

"He came of his own free will," Cammy noted. "That should show for something."

"Maybe," Watson said. He turned to the young tech. "Ginzu, what do we got on him?"

"From what I can dig up on him, our Japanese friend was born on 21 July, early twenties, fluent in English and Japanese," Ginzu reported. "His parents were killed when he was young and he was raised by his grandfather, who also taught him martial arts. Here's something interesting. It appears that Ryu is friends with Ken Masters."

Watson looked up. "Ken Masters? The American karate champion and heir to the Masters Corporation?"

Ginzu nodded. "Apparently, they've both trained together. Several years ago, Ryu's grandfather was killed and sometime after the funeral, he disappeared."

"Was there an investigation into the murder?" Luwanda asked.

"Yes," Ginzu replied, nodding again. "Ryu wasn't implicated because he was with Masters during the time it happened. According to the files, Ryu and Ken showed up just before he died. Shortly after the funeral, Ryu left Japan and hasn't been back since." Ginzu typed in a few keys on his laptop and turned it so that it was facing his comrades. "I've hacked into a Shadowlaw mainframe and found something very interesting about our friend in lockup."

Ginzu played the video. It was of Ryu, fighting a slender brunette in a one-piece Shadowlaw uniform.

Cammy recognized the person immediately. "It's Juli."

Watson turned to the pigtailed blonde. "You know her?" he asked, knowing full well of her shady past, something that Cammy would much rather forget while she was still suffering from memory loss.

"She is the commander of the Shadowlaw Elite Squad," Cammy explained, "Or was, from what Juni said."

"You think that's good," Ginzu said, "then you're gonna love this." He punched in a few more keys. This time the picture changed to that of Ryu fighting Bison. Needless to say, Ryu was getting the worse of it. Then something posessed Ryu and he fought back with extreme prejudice, knocking Bison around like a redheaded stephild and even tossing him into several trees.

"Whoa," Luwanda said and even Watson had nothing to add.

"I said the same thing," Ginzu replied. "This guy fought General Bison and survived. And no one has ever done that."

"So that makes him a high priority for Bison," Watson said. "Ginzu, contact Interpol and see if we can dig up some more info on him." He then turned to Cammy. "Since he is more confortable talking to you than any one of us, see if you can get something out of him tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I want extra security in the cellblock, just in case Shadowlaw tries anything funny."

Cammy nods her affirmative and exits the room.

* * *

While all of this is going on, Ginzu's email was answered by a certain Chinese Interpol Agent. She, as well as her American commando partner would be in London the following day. 

Unfortunately, their flight was delayed at the airport.

* * *

The next morning, Ryu was still in his cell. The hard cot was uncomfortable, but he couldn't complain. In his years of travelling, he developed a knack for sleeping anywhere. 

He got up early as he always did. Unfortunatately, the cell was too small for him to train, so he meditated instead.

Then two guards approached his cell. Among them, was McCoy. As Ryu rose to his feet, the guards were unlocking the door. Eventhough Ryu's movments were not threatening, the guards were not people who took chances. Batons drawn, they, along with the biggest member of Delta Red, escorted Ryu to the interrogation room. Ryu sat down in a chair and waited.

Watching him from the other side, were the other members of Delta Red.

"Any problems out of him?" Watson asked as McCoy entered the observation room.

"None whatsoever," McCoy replied. "I would say he's harmless, but after what I've seen," he said, recalling the two Shadowlaw videos Ginzu had played the day before. "The saying does ring true: appearances can be misleading."

Watson turned to Cammy. "Lieutenant, you know what to do."

Cammy nodded and exited the room. The Delta Red Commander turned to Ginzu. "Is the polygraph ready?"

Ginzu grinned. "One of my best pieces of work yet. Ryu is sitting on it. The chair measures his body signs and his temperatures. We'll know if he's lying or not."

* * *

Cammy entered the interrogation room. "Good morning." 

Ryu nodded back in greeting.

Cammy took a seat across from him. "I trust that McCoy wasn't hard on you."

"I've seen worse," Ryu said.

"So what brings you to England?" Cammy asked.

"I'm at the tail end of my training trip," Ryu explained. "I'm basically finishing up my world tour before I return to Japan."

"So you're originally, from Japan then?"

Ryu nodded. "Yes. I also hold American citizenship through my late father, but I prefer Japan."

"Yes, I know about that piece of information," Cammy said. "I also know that you fought against Bison and Juli. What I'm curious is that how you managed to defeat Bison. He is one of the most cruel and sadistic men in the world."

Ryu shook his head. "I didn't. I lost and my instincts took over. It was either live or die. I chose to live."

Cammy frowned at that comment. "What do you mean by that?"

Ryu gave her a sardonic grin. "I have my secrets. Let's just say that I'm not what most people say I am."

Cammy decided to let that slide. "You also mentioned to Juni that she was not on the same level as Juli," Cammy noted. "So you actually talked to Juli?"

"I did. The second time we talked, she was thrown out of Shadowlaw for failing to capture me. She is someone who can hold a good dinner conversation with."

Cammy leaned back in her seat. "Just how well do you know Juli?"

Ryu's mind flashed back to his encounter with Juli. Back in Hong Kong, they went through several rounds of passionate lovemaking during a typhoon inside a flat owned by Fei Long. "I know her pretty well," he replied enigmatically, although Cammy didn't catch on to it.

"Where is she now?"

Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. She left Hong Kong before I did. She just disappeared."

* * *

Inside the observation room, Watson turned to Ginzu. "Well?" 

"All signs are normal," the Delta Red tech replied. "He's telling the truth."

* * *

Meanwhile, the interrogation continued. 

"Why is General Bison after you?" Cammy asked.

"Because of my fighting abilities. I found out while I was in Calcutta. There were a group of men chasing after me who were working for Shadowlaw. After taking down nearly all of them, I threatened to crush the last thug's head under an elephant's foot unless he confessed. So I had to conceal myself from their agents. My gi and headband occasionally betrayed me, so I changed my appearance. Makes them hard for them to track me. I've had a couple of close calls, but nothing serious."

They talked for several more minutes, until Cammy excused herself from the room. Ryu clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

"So how did he do?" Cammy asked Ginzu who was looking over the polygraph results.

"He passed. With flying colors, I might add," Ginzu reported.

"So what do you think of him, Cammy?" Watson asked.

Cammy paused for a moment. "Well...from speaking to him and watching him fight...it's safe to say that he's not the bad guy. He's just trying to get back home and decided to take a detour and come here." she paused for a moment. "I offered him a chance to stay at one of out safehouses, but he refused. All he wants is to be on his way."

Watson thought about it for a moment. "Hmm...he hasn't broken any major laws...we'll release him immediately."

Twenty minutes later, Ryu was escorted to the main entrance for MI-6. Cammy was there, his duffel bag resting against her boots.

"I hope you didn't rifle through my things," Ryu said as he picked up his bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"We didn't. If you were in major trouble, then we would have," Cammy replied. "Thanks for making my job easier by coming in voluntarily."

The Japanese fighter shrugged his shoulders. "No problem." He looked outside where his taxi was waiting. "I hope we'll meet again."

Cammy flashed a wicked smile. "Maybe then I can challenge you to a match."

"I look forward to it." Ryu then left the building. "Take care, Cammy."

* * *

"Then about an hour later," Cammy finished, "you and Guile showed up." 

"Do you have any idea as to where he went to?" Chun Li asked.

Cammy shook her head. "The guy's a nomad. He basically goes where he wishes. Why are you so interested in him?"

"The rumors were true," the Chinese Interpol inspector replied. "He is the first - maybe the only person - who faced off against Bison and lived to tell about it."

Cammy looked at her for a moment. "You lie."

"What?"

"Interrogating suspects has given me the ability to see whether or not one is telling the truth," Cammy explained. "There's more to the story."

Chun Li thought about it for a moment. "Promise me that you don't tell Guile about this. If he finds out about this, he'll blow his top."

"I promise."

Chun Li pulled out a wallet. After digging around for a moment, she pulled out a small photo. "Here."

Cammy took the photo and looked at it. Sure enough, it was that of Chun Li...and Ryu, four years earlier form when Chun Li was an exchange student. It was taken during the town's Lantern Festival, both Ryu and Chun Li dressed in Japanese yukatas.

"Is that...?"

Chun Li nodded. "Correct. That's Ryu. The picture's four years old. It was taken while I was Japan. I was an exchange student there." Chun Li then told Cammy about her and Ryu's romantic past, and of how she left him, to return to Hong Kong, brokenhearted following her father's death.

Chun Li bowed her head. "I tried to explain to him what happened, but he hung up the phone on me. I planned on returning to Japan to try and straighten things out between us, but I later heard that his grandfather was murdered and Ryu disappeared."

"Was your father Dourai Xiang?" Cammy inquired.

"You know him?"

Cammy managed a weak smile. "You're not the only one with a chekered past. How old you think I am?" Off Chun Li's puzzled look, Cammy continued. "I'm nineteen years old, and a Lieutenant in Her Majesty's Secret Service. Before that...I was a Shadowlaw assassin."

That got Chun Li's full attention, so Cammy continued.

"My memories are screwed up," Cammy continued. "They're all bits and pieces. It was about two years ago when Colonel Watson found me on the streets. He took me in and when he saw that I had combat and military training, he invited me to join Delta Red. But I'm still haunted by my past...all of the people I've killed in the name of Shadowlaw...they continue to haunt me when I sleep."

"What about my father?" Chun Li asked. "How did he die?"

"I was with General Bison when it happened. I was fifteen at the time, and already a career assassin. Bison had kidnapped teenage girls from all over the world to initiate his Elite Squad program."

"That's sick," Chun Li noted.

"Dourai had chased down several thugs on Shadowlaw's payroll. But it was a trap. Bison confronted him...I can still hear your father's screams as he toyed with him, destroying his knee," Cammy said, squeezing her eyes shut. "Then...Bison killed him. He snapped his neck. He also killed an American agent who was snooping around in South America...his name was Nash, I think."

"Charlie Nash," Chun Li confirmed. "Guile's best friend."

Cammy managed a small smile. "Looks like we all have secrets to hide, don't we?"

Chun Li nodded as she took the photo back and slipped back inside her wallet. "I guess so."

"I think I can be of some help to you and Guile," Cammy said. "I would like to join you in your investigation."

"Guile has the final say," Chun Li replied, "but I'll talk to him."

Sure enough, Guile saw the advantages of having Cammy on his side helping with the Shadowlaw investigation and agreed to let he come along. Now all the three had to do was try and track down Ryu.

But that was easier said than done.


End file.
